The Tech Behind Phoenix’s “Trying to be Cool”

Live Performance + Live Editing = Cool Video

If French pop band Phoenix was indeed “Trying To Be Cool” with the release of their latest single, teaming up with The Creators Project for the video was certainly a step in the right direction.

A partnership between Intel and Vice, The Creators Project celebrates the innovative use of technology to push the boundaries of creative expression. So as you can imagine, the video for “Trying To Be Cool” — the second single off Phoenix’s critically acclaimed fifth album, “Bankrupt!” — is anything but ordinary.

Directed by audiovisual production company CANADA, the video was filmed entirely live in full takes of the song.

In a behind-the-scenes video posted on The Creators Project’s website, CANADA co-founder Nicolás Méndez explains, “The whole thing was built around the idea of [the band] playing live.”

CANADA had proposed this concept to other bands they’d worked with in the past, but the idea was always shot down due to the artist’s desire to only use the recorded version of their track for the video. Leave it to a band as polished live as Phoenix to take on this daunting task…

Visit iQ by Intel to read more about what was going on behind the scenes while making Phoenix’s “Trying To Be Cool” music video!

This is another is a series of articles written by LAmb co-founder Kristin Houser in conjunction with the iQ by Intel series to explore the link between technology and music.